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1 HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

2 WHEREAS, It is highly fitting that the Illinois General 3 Assembly pays honor and respect to the truly great individuals 4 who served our country in its time of greatest need; and

5 WHEREAS, was born on November 19, 1752 6 in Albemarle County near Shadwell, ; he passed away at 7 the age of 66 on February 13, 1818 in Jefferson County, 8 Kentucky; and

9 WHEREAS, As with most children of the time, George Rogers 10 Clark was tutored at home; he eventually became a farmer and 11 surveyor; and

12 WHEREAS, In 1777, as the American Revolutionary War 13 intensified in the territory west of the colonies, George 14 Rogers Clark was commissioned as a Lieutenant Colonel in the 15 Virginia and was authorized to capture the British 16 posts in the region; and

17 WHEREAS, During the winter of 1778, British soldiers, 18 French volunteers, and Indian warriors under the direction of 19 British Lt. Governor Henry Hamilton, captured Fort Sackville 20 located at Vincennes, in what is now known as Indiana; and -2-HJ0083LRB095 16450 GRL 42476 r

1 WHEREAS, Under George Rogers Clark's determined leadership 2 and direction, a force of approximately 170 men made an 3 incredible eighteen-day trek from Kaskaskia, through the 4 freezing flood waters of the undeveloped Illinois countryside, 5 to Fort Sackville; and

6 WHEREAS, Upon arriving at nightfall on the evening of 7 February 23, 1779, George Rogers Clark surrounded the enemy 8 with his men and masterfully displayed sufficient flags for an 9 army of 500 men, thus giving the impression of having a much 10 larger army than he actually had; and

11 WHEREAS, Along with other military maneuvers, George 12 Rogers Clark's men continued firing at the fort and discharging 13 explosives under the walls of Fort Sackville; and

14 WHEREAS, The British Flag would not be raised above Fort 15 Sackville on the morning of February 25, 1779, as Lt. Governor 16 Hamilton and his garrison marched out of the fort and 17 surrendered to American Colonel George Rogers Clark; and

18 WHEREAS, George Rogers Clark's recapture of Fort Sackville 19 at Vincennes is credited by historians as confounding the 20 British plans to attack the newly formed United Colonies, as 21 well as the British war efforts from the west; and -3-HJ0083LRB095 16450 GRL 42476 r

1 WHEREAS, Without George Rogers Clark's brilliant military 2 actions, General would have faced a 3 debilitating war on two fronts that might well have changed the 4 outcome of the ; and

5 WHEREAS, As a result of George Rogers Clark's successful 6 battles, the British ceded to the a vast area of 7 land west of the Appalachian Mountains, which includes the 8 present states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, 9 Wisconsin, and the eastern portion of Minnesota; and

10 WHEREAS, George Rogers Clark was a peerless military 11 leader, who knew his enemy as well as he knew his own men; and

12 WHEREAS, The virtues that George Rogers Clark exhibited 13 transcended his era; his actions during times of great distress 14 serve as a reminder that acts of truly great heroes should be 15 recognized and preserved for future generations; and

16 WHEREAS, The United States National Park Service maintains 17 a George Rogers Clark National Historical Park and a beautiful 18 George Rogers Clark Memorial in Vincennes, directly across the 19 Wabash River from Illinois on what is believed to be the site 20 of Fort Sackville; and

21 WHEREAS, A portion of U.S. Route 50 extends from Salem to -4-HJ0083LRB095 16450 GRL 42476 r

1 Vincennes, Indiana, and most closely represents the path that 2 Clark and his men took after marching north from Kaskaskia; 3 therefore, be it

4 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 5 NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE 6 SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that the portion of U.S. Route 50, 7 extending east between Salem and the Indiana border at 8 Vincennes, be designated the George Rogers Clark Memorial 9 Highway; and be it further

10 RESOLVED, That the Illinois Department of Transportation 11 is requested to erect at suitable locations, consistent with 12 State and federal regulations, appropriate plaques or signs 13 giving notice of the name of the George Rogers Clark Memorial 14 Highway; and be it further

15 RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be 16 delivered to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of 17 Transportation, the Secretary of the Illinois Department of 18 Transportation, and the Mayors of Lawrenceville, Bridgeport, 19 Sumner, Claremont, Olney, Clay City, Noble, Flora, Xenia, Iuka, 20 and Salem.